North Devon Festival Facts and Figures

1999 - 16 days, 27 events
2010  - the whole of June with over 200 main events.

The Festival unites the whole of North Devon: it's the variety of community involvement mixed with the top-quality arts and entertainment, the familiar and eagerly anticipated blockbuster events, and the spectacular setting that makes the festival so special.  The Festival continues to evolve and grow, with each year bringing more innovative and exciting events to the mix and more people coming along to enjoy what North Devon has to offer:

The 2010 North Devon Festival Impact Report is available here

Aims of the Festival

The North Devon Festival aims to highlight the region's rich and diverse cultural life with a wide range of events reflecting the character and natural beauty of the place, benefiting local communities and businesses.

Objectives of the Festival

History of the Festival

When it first began in 1999, the festival ran for 16 days involving just 27 events. Now, 10 years on, it has become an amazing large scale 'festival of festivals' spanning the whole month of June and featuring over 200 events in hundreds of locations throughout the region.

Over the last 10 years, the North Devon Festival has attracted nearly a million people to participate in events, 40% of whom came from outside the region. This in turn has helped develop the tourism of the area and, in the last five years alone, the Festival has generated an incredible £47 million for the economy of North Devon

The North Devon Festival includes high quality arts and entertainment events as well as many other events associated with the traditions of the people and the character of the region. Music, dance, literature, touring theatre, traditional fayres, visual arts, sport and the natural environment are the key components of the 200+ main events in 70+ towns and villages. It covers the entire region from Holsworthy to Lynton and Ilfracombe to Witheridge as well as the main regional towns of Barnstaple and Bideford.

A large part of the region has been awarded 'Biosphere Reserve' status by UNESCO (United Nations Environmental, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in acknowledgement of the area's distinctive environmental and social features. It has 300 miles of stunning coastline, designated areas of outstanding natural beauty, the wild magnificence of Exmoor and the traditional pastureland of the Ruby Country. The North Devon Festival’s events imaginatively highlighted these features and provided even more reason for visitors to come to North Devon in June and for local communities to 'be part of it'.

Support Us

Staging the North Devon Festival would not be possible without the generosity of many supporters. Their financial and in-kind support enables the Festival to thrive and reach more people within and outside North Devon every year.

To find out more about the mutually beneficial partnerships on offer, please click here or contact Jo Griffiths, Development Manager, T: 01271 334678 or complete our online form.